Something caught my eye this past week. It was an official meeting in Europe of the Paris Climate Accord process, which, of course, President Trump pulled America out of. When a U.S. representative took the stage to explain our position, he was jeered and laughed at – loudly.

How very strange. You know how climate change activists never stop going on about believing in the science and how facts matter. Then why aren't they cheering the United States, instead of jeering?

In the evil populist "Trump's America," here's what happened to energy-related carbon emissions: In 2017, they fell by 0.5 percent. But in the saintly globalist European Union, they went up by 1.5 percent in the same period. In fact, per-capita carbon emissions in Trump's America are nearly at a 70-year low.

It turns out energy deregulation does more to fight climate change than going to conferences. I guess you might call that an “inconvenient truth." This one's pretty inconvenient if you're the kind of person that goes around saying Trump is a fake populist, that he's not doing anything to help the forgotten men and women in this country.

"All he had time for was celebrities, and now suddenly he's acting like he's a populist out there," former President Obama once said. "'Man, I'm going to fight for working people.' … Come on, man!"

And former Vice President Joe Biden said the following at the Democartic National Convention in 2016: "He’s trying to tell us he cares about the middle class. Give me a break! That’s a bunch of malarkey!”

"Malarkey?" I want Joe Biden run in 2020 just so we can hear more of that word.

Look, America's poverty rate was lower in President Trump’s first year than at any point in the Obama administration.

Okay. Whatever, you Trump haters are probably saying. But of course the middle class was screwed by the Trump tax cuts that only helped the rich, right?

Oh wait. The Trump tax cuts doubled the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for families. That's a huge change that takes millions of Americans out of federal income tax altogether and has effectively increased incomes for middle class families across the country.

What else helps the middle class? Jobs. But of course that "idiot" Trump couldn’t create them.

“When somebody says – like the person you just mentioned that I'm not going to advertise for – that he’s going to bring all these jobs back. Well, how exactly are you going to do that?" Obama once said. "He just says, 'Well, I’m going to negotiate a better deal.' Well, what – how – exactly are you going to negotiate that? What magic wand do you have?”

Yeah, Trump, what magic wand do you have? I don’t know, maybe just better economic policy. The kind that results in the lowest unemployment rate since 1969. And the lowest African-American unemployment ever.

Left, right and center, inconvenient truth, Hillary. Even the New York times just gave Trump credit for the fact that the U.S. economy is on track for its “best annual performance since 2005.”

Alright, whatever. Jobs and growth … but Trump still isn't delivering his promises to working people. I mean, after decades of stagnation, incomes are still flat, aren't they?

“A key thing we’ve been looking at for quite a while that doesn’t seem to be moving much are wages," CBS correspondent Anthony Mason said on-air.

Oh dear. That turns out not be true any more. Wages have risen all the way through the last two years and were up 3.1 percent in the last quarter – the highest level in a decade.

Fine. But it's all going to be ruined, isn't it, by Trump's crazy trade war with China? In fact, the elitists seem to hate Trump so much, they even took China's side. Remember how they thrilled to the brutal autocrat Xi Jinping at Davos last year? They just lapped up his speech on the virtues of globalization. The president of the EU-owned European Investment Bank said, "In these times of a lack of leadership, particularly in Europe, it was quite impressive."

Oooh President Xi! You're quite impressive!

What's actually happening is that President Trump's pressure is working. China is on the back foot, making trade concessions, and now pledging to drop its "Made in China 2025" program, which was Xi Jinping's grand plan to achieve world domination in the industries of the future.

We'll see if they mean it. But even the fact that they're saying it is a major victory for that "idiot" Trump, who obviously doesn't know what he's doing. Just like with North Korea, remember?

It was outgoing President Obama who told President-elect Donald Trump that North Korea would be his number one problem. Trump actually listened to him, did something about it, and turned our relationship around in a way that has made the world incomparably safer.

We’ll never persuade the Trump haters on the left and the right to change their feelings about the president. They just can’t stand him.

And then, just this past week, we saw incredibly important substantive progress from this administration. Major criminal justice reform, led by Jared Kushner, is now looking good for passage in the Senate. A major new effort to revitalize urban America and rebuild low-income neighborhoods is being led by Ben Carson. And there's a highly significant new strategy from John Bolton to fight China's attempted colonization of Africa.

On top of that, America last week became a net oil exporter for the first time in 75 years, enabling us to reduce the global influence of dodgy regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Yeah, but he's still an idiot, though. isn't he? He's still Trump.

Look, the point here is this: We'll never persuade the Trump haters on the left and the right to change their feelings about the president. They just can't stand him. And more than anything, it's aesthetic. They find him vulgar … not to their taste.

Fine. But could you just focus on the facts? Could you just acknowledge – even for a day or so over Christmas – that on the facts, on policy, on the substance, that this is, so far, a pretty successful presidency?

Adapted from Steve Hilton's monologue from "The Next Revolution" on December 16, 2018.

Steve Hilton is host of “The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton” on Fox News Channel at 9pm ET Sundays and author of the book “Positive Populism: Revolutionary Ideas to Rebuild Economic Security, Family and Community in America.” Follow him on Twitter @SteveHiltonx.

In 1790, one of the most important documents in the history of conservatism was published: Edmund Burke's “Reflections on the Revolution in France.”

Burke criticized the revolutionaries for their focus on pompous high-minded abstractions instead of practical measures to help actual people.

Well, now the tables are turned.

It's the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, who's wandering around the world issuing high-minded proclamations while the “yellow vest” revolutionaries on the streets of Paris are intensely practical.

As one of the protestors pithily put it, "we are overtaxed. But at the Elysee, that’s the president’s residence, they spend 10,000 Euros a month on the hairdresser."

I don't know if President Macron's haircut is worth what’s about $11,000 dollars a month but the style he really should have is that of the original, out of touch French elitist, Marie Antoinette.

When told that the people couldn't afford bread she famously said, "Let them eat cake."

Guess what Macron said when French workers complained that his new gas tax meant they couldn't afford to get to work?

He told them to carpool!

What's going on in France is part of a worldwide populist uprising.

In the UK, in Germany, in Italy, in Eastern Europe, in Brazil and, of course, here in America with Donald Trump's election — and support for Bernie Sanders. Let's remember, working people are saying they've had enough of decades of elitist policies — like uncontrolled immigration — that help those at the top but hurt everyone else.

But there's something else going on, too — the elitist fightback.

In Britain, they're about to overturn Brexit. In Italy, the new populist government is about to have its budget rejected by the EU. And, of course, here in America the establishment is doing everything it can to get Donald Trump out of office before the next election

Well, here's the takeaway from the chaos in France. If the elitist idiots think that Trump, Brexit, and all these other populist movements are some kind of aberration and they can soon get back to business as usual, forget it.

You can’t treat working people with contempt and expect no consequences.

There's a reason our show is called “The Next Revolution.” If the establishment overturns the Brexit vote or the 2016 presidential vote or any other of these votes — people are not going to passively take it.

The revolution will continue.

People will be on the streets.

And no, President Macron, they won't get there in a carpool.

Tell me what you think of that @SteveHiltonX and @nextrevfnc.

Adapted from Steve Hilton’s monologue from “The Next Revolution” on December 9, 2018.

Steve Hilton is host of “The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton” on Fox News Channel at 9pm ET Sundays and author of the book “Positive Populism: Revolutionary Ideas to Rebuild Economic Security, Family and Community in America.” Follow him on Twitter @SteveHiltonx.

Here's something important our friend Tezlyn Figaro said on last week's edition of our show:

“You have a crime bill right now that Senator Cory Booker is begging for people to get on board [with]. When we talk about mass incarceration – going from 500,000 in 1980 to 2.2 million now. There are American citizens who are locked up right now but yet our concern is for those who are trying to break into America. But it is also important to point out that 97 percent of the people in jail took a plea deal because they did not have adequate representation. It’s a group from the 90s. Hundreds of people were destroyed through Bill Clinton’s crime bill and nothing’s being told about that.”

She's talking about the First Step Act, a historic reform of the criminal justice system that President Trump and his team have worked hard to negotiate. Here's what the president said on November 14:

“Today I'm thrilled to announce my support for this bipartisan bill that will make our communities safer and give former inmates a second chance at life after they have served their time, so important.”

He's right and this is a major populist issue, just as much as immigration or trade.

Bill Clinton's 1994 crime bill ended up incarcerating millions of working Americans –-far too many of them African-Americans — for far too long, hurting their ability to work and earn a living, contributing to family breakdown, and helping to tear apart the social fabric in our communities.

Turning that around is a fantastic accomplishment and leaders from all sides are on board.

You've got Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee who has said this:

“This bill would deal with that… It would tell judges that they’ve got discretion to actually be judges. … It will make life better for millions of Americans who, one way or another, are affected by our federal criminal justice system.

You've got South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham:

“What we’re talking about is basically creating a new sentencing system that will give African-American male and Hispanic male detainees a chance to get out of jail… it’s the most important bipartisan piece of legislation in the Congress today.”

You've got Democrats including Senators Dick Durbin and Cory Booker.

You've even got CNN’s Van Jones, of all people. Check out this praise for President Trump:

“On this one, I’ll give him a salute and applause. We’ve got to come together to help the people at the bottom. If you can’t put politics aside to help people who are suffering and struggling in prison when there’s a shot to do something on a bipartisan basis, then I think we’ve taken politics too far.”

You'd think with all that support this bill would easily pass Congress. That's what the bill's sponsor, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is hoping. Here's his tweet:

“Dealmaker @realdonaldtrump can get a big bipartisan deal done this year on crim justice reform plenty of time to pass first step act in december will gop senators & ldr mcconnell stand in pres trump’s way of achieving major bipartisan victory or join in historic + popular reform?”

And there's the problem. There's one hitch in all this: Mitch!

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to think his only job in life is confirming judges. Of course, that's vital. But so is President Trump's agenda and it would help if the Republican Senate Majority Leader could actually help pass it. But instead, he's blocking it.

He won't bring the First Step Act for a vote because… Well, it's not exactly clear:

“We don't have a whole lot of time left, but the first step is to finalize what proponents are actually for. There have been a lot of different versions floating around. And then we'll whip it and see where the vote count is."

Another objector is outgoing Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker. Here’s what he’s said: “A lot of people like me are still trying to understand what it does…”

He said there had only been a “higher level discussion of whether we should attempt to do it."

Hmmm. A higher level? I think the explanation is on a much lower level — the one that Washington usually operates on: money.

Blocking this bill would leave more people in jail. Now, who would be most in favor of that?

The prison industry, of course.

And guess who's received more money from private prison companies than any other member of the Senate? That's right, good old Bob Corker. Don't bother wiping the mud off on your way out of the swamp, Senator.

And Mitch McConnell's opposition to this bill, which has mystified many people, makes a little more sense when you discover that he has received – wait for it – over half a million dollars from private prison companies and their financial interests over the years.

Never mind cocaine, Mitch. This is corrupt, Mitch.

Put people first, not donors.

Do the right thing.

Pass this bill!

Tell me what you think on Twitter @stevehiltonx and @next revefnc.

Adapted from Steve Hilton’s monologue on “The Next Revolution” on December 2, 2018.

Steve Hilton is host of “The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton” on Fox News Channel at 9pm ET Sundays and author of the book “Positive Populism: Revolutionary Ideas to Rebuild Economic Security, Family and Community in America.” Follow him on Twitter @SteveHiltonx.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I read Bob Woodward’s “Fear: Trump in the White House.”

When it came out in September the snooty elitists on the East Coast salivated over its juicy gossip: “Trump watches TV a lot!" and the story it told of a president they see as an ignorant, dangerous barbarian.

Here are a few of the condescending highlights…

From Judy Woodruff, PBS: “It is a stunning look inside the Trump presidency, exposing a chaotic White House led by a man who has said he believes the key to power is fear.”

From Jamie Gangel, CNN: “I think what Woodward has presented here is a devastating portrait, Brooke. We’ve heard about chaos, we've heard about dysfunction, but the details of this book are like nothing we've heard before…’

From Mika Brzezinski, co-host, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,”: “All the anecdotes certainly ring true to the man we know and the man who never evolved or stepped up when he won the presidency”…

The East Coast elite held up this book as evidence of why Donald Trump is not fit to be president. Well, either they haven't read the book, or they're deliberately distorting what's in it.

What Bob Woodward has actually done is write a book in praise of President Trump. The Woodward account, in fact, tells the story of a president who’s totally focused on his agenda, clear about his priorities, and obsessed with delivering the promises he was elected on — but blocked at every turn by almost everyone around him.

What Bob Woodward has actually done is write a book in praise of President Trump. The Woodward account, in fact, tells the story of a president who is totally focused on his agenda, clear about his priorities, and obsessed with delivering the promises he was elected on — but blocked at every turn by almost everyone around him.

Former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, former economic chief Gary Cohn, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, current Defense Secretary General Mattis — and especially Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary who resigned in disgrace over wife-beating allegations — these men were in President Trump's inner circle and they literally plotted and schemed with each other to overturn the result of the 2016 election.

Donald Trump's signature issue for decades has been trade. He was elected to get out of TPP, NAFTA and other trade deals that hurt American workers. He couldn't have been clearer about it. Here’s what he said on August 24, 2016

“We are going to stop the TPP, totally re-negotiate NAFTA, one of the worst trade deals ever made by mankind, and protect every last American job.”

From day one the president wanted to deliver on that by introducing tariffs and renegotiating trade deals. But globalists including Gary Cohn and General Mattis did everything in their power to stop him.

Another central theme of Donald Trump's campaign was his promise to stop America's involvement in endless foreign wars. This is how he said it in 2016 :

"I will never send our finest into battle unless necessary, and I mean absolutely necessary, and will only do so if we have a plan for victory with a capital V."

And yet the globalists in his team tried every trick in the book to get the president to break his promises and carry on with the failed policies of the past.

It's the same on immigration. One of the most distinctive elements of the Trump 2016 agenda was its promise to end the elitist consensus for uncontrolled immigration that for decades delivered cheap labor to big business Republicans and easy votes to establishment Democrats.

Could anyone have misunderstood what Donald Trump was saying? Here’s what he said in a presidential debate in 2015:

“As far as the wall is concerned, we're going to build a wall. We're going to create a border. We're going to let people in, but they're going to come in legally. They're going to come in legally. And it's something that can be done.”

But on this issue too, we learn from Bob Woodward's reporting, that far from undermining democracy, as the East Coast elites scream every day, President Trump has been battling to uphold democracy by delivering the policy changes that people voted for.

Far from describing an unfit and clueless idiot in the Oval Office, the Woodward book portrays a clear-eyed and resolute president fighting exactly the elitist enemy he was elected to fight.

The only problem is: the enemy is within. Not just within his own administration — but within his own White House. Now, some of those people have gone. Rex Tillerson. Gary Cohn. Rob Porter…they're out. But far too many are still there.

Next week, we'll be in Washington, D.C., right in the swamp and we will bring you a special edition of “SwampWatch: The Swamp in the White House.”

Yes, we will name names. You do not want to miss it: “The Swamp in the White House,” next Sunday from D.C.

Tell me what you think of that @stevehiltonx and @nextrevfnc.

Adapted from Steve Hilton’s monologue on “The Next Revolution” on November 25, 2018.

Steve Hilton is host of “The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton” on Fox News Channel at 9pm ET Sundays and author of the book “Positive Populism: Revolutionary Ideas to Rebuild Economic Security, Family and Community in America.” Follow him on Twitter @SteveHiltonx.